Jacob buhrer of munich



@Michal-ities nient ffice( IMPRGVED APPARATUS FOR THB COMBUSTION Oli' FUEL.

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TO WHOM ITMAY CONCERN:

Be it-ltnown that l, JACOB BUHRER, of Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, have invented certain new and useful improvements in the Combustion of Fuel, and in the apparatus o r meuns employed therein: and I hereby declare that tho following is a. full, clem', und exact description of the some.

This invention relates to nu improved system or mode of eiectingthe combustion of fuel, and to the arrangement of apparatus for that purpose, and is applicable to the generation of steam; the burning of pottery, bricks, lime, und cement; the heating oi' the retorts for the manufacture ci' gus, and the heating of rcverheratory fui'- naces empioyed in metallurgical Vand other operations.

These improvements consist, irstly, in the employment oi' any suitable solid fuel, in the powdered or noiydivided state, and causing Vit to full or pass, in a. continuous, or nearly continuous, stream or streams, inton suitable, combustion-chamber supplied with heated or other oir, so that the finely-divided fuel shall become intimately mixed with the air contained inthe combuStion-cbumber, and be ignited Whilst in the act-of falling; secondly, in the employment of' self-noting mechanical contrivcnces for insuring a. continuous or nearly Acong tinuous, supply of the nely-divided fuel to the combustion-chamber; thirdly, in the empioymentof stops or obstr retiens in the combustion-chamber, with n. rien to the checking or returding of the descent of the inclyf divided fuel through` the comhustiomchnmber, and thereby insuring its complete combustion before reaching the bottom or inferior portion of the chamber; fourthly, in the substitution of en cxhztusbfan for the usuel chimney, und driving such fun from the machinery which drives the self-notipg feed mechanism, that it shall alwnys be driven et a speed proportionate to that of the apparatus which supplies the fuel, the objectiheing to regulate the drought according to the mountof fuel supplied in a given time. i n

Figure 1 of the annexed sheets of drawings represents a vertical section of a combustion-chamber, suitable rf for beating an ordinary paddling or other reverberetory furnace, according-to this invention, the furnace itself being-omitted in the drawing, as forming no part of this invention.

`A is the combustion-chamber, which may be of fire-brick, or'lined with fire-brick, and ofnny convenient height, according to the amount of fuel tube consumed in a given time. It is provided with a. lire-door, B, at the bottom, for the facility of introducing a small quantity of ordinary fuel, as hereiuafterdescribed, on starting fthe furnaee In the top of a comhustiomchamber there is formed s number of inlets, da, for the admission of the powdered fuel, the supply of'which is regulated and maintained by Ineens of any convenient seltacting feed app nrutus, such, for example, as tinted rotating cylinders b', situato et the bottom of one or more hoppersc c. The powdered fuel may be supplied to the vhopper c by means of sin ordinary elevation. d d are a number of r 5to-brick obstructions, built into the interior of the combustion-chamber -end partially lling the same, with a, view to checking or retarding the felll or descent of the powdered fuel in the combustion-chamber, and thereby insuring its perfect combustion by the time it reaches the floor ofthe chamber. The obstructions may be either solid or hollow, and, when made hollow or tubular, they may, in the case of furnaces for neem-generators, be composed of metal, and made'to open at each cnd into the water space surrounding the combustion, so als to aord increased heating surfaces. v In some cases tubular firecla.y obstructions may be employed with a. view -to the admission of air therein, such air being permitted to escape in the form of ksmul! jets or currents amongst the ignited descending fuel, through lateral perforations made in the tubes fcr'that purpose'. C is the opening which conducts the dame land heated products oi' combustion into the furnace or chamber where thc elevated temperature is required, us, for example, into the body of s puddling or reverberntory' furnace. The hot or cold oir requisite for effecting the perfect combustion of the finely-divided fuel, dur-ing its descent, muy be admitted into the combustion-chamber in anyconvenient mnnner, so long,` as care be token to insure u complete and thorough lcdxnixtul'e ofthe nir with the fuel as it foilse ln starting the furnace a sullciently elevated ten.- perature must first De obtained in the combustion-chamber, by lighting a. fire in the bottom or lower portion thereof', to cause the ignition of the finely-divided fuel as it descends. The descendingafuei boring become 1 ignited, will ignite the rest as fast as it is supplied, thereby producing n continuous combustion.

Figure 2 represents e sectional elevation, showing the adaptation of this system to pottery kilns.

A is the combustion-chamber, communicating by the aperture with thcinterior of thcliiln D. The nelydivided fuel is fed into the top of the combustionrhoinber through apertures o, into each of which e pipo or tube opens from the bottom of a hopper, e, which is kept sup-plied with the iinelyulifded fuel in anv convenient manner. The ilow of the powdered fuel from the contracted lower part of the hopper is regulated'by means of a conical plug, b, (shown more clearly in fig 3,) which is an enlarged sectional detail of one form of selinctingr feeder, which I have found to answer well in'praetice. A species Aof open cage, c, is formed on the top of the plug, apd a vertical central spindle, f, is secured thereto, such spindle passing through a. cross-bar, g, on the niouth of the hopper, and being provided witlrzi. moveable collar, z, made adjustable along the spindle :and resting upon the cross-bar. By suitably adjusting the position nf this collar along the spindle, the conical plug b muy be maintained at any desired. elevation, so as to leave a larger or smaller orifice in the bottom of thohopper for the escape of thc finely-divided fuel, according to the quantity of'fuel to be .fed into the combustionchnmber. In order to keep the fuel perfectly loose in the hopper, and to insure its free passage through the contracted orifice, a circularreeiprocating motion is imparted to the plug b and cage c, by means of elevar-arm, z', fitted on to the upper end of the vertical spindle, and connected with alongitudinally reciprocating-rod` .-t. which is common to allthe feeders, as shown in the plan, lig. 7, and hereinafter more fully referred to.

A sand-joint is made, as shown in Figure 3, at the part where the feeding-tube enters the inlet apertures u. for' the purpose of preventing any escape from the combustiorvchamber of the heated products ot' combustion at that part. l Z ape stays for supporting the hopper.. Hot air obtained from regenerators, constructed and operating on the system adopt-ed in Siemens regenerative furnaces, is admitted into the combustion-chamber A, through the perforations m m, from the hot-air flue n, which communicates with the regenerators.

`Figures 4 and 5 represent, respectively, a transverse iertical section and a sectional plan of a portion of a brick` kiln, in which the firing is maintained by means of finely-divided fuel, 'supplied in a continuous manner by self-acting feeding mechanism situate above the kiln.

A is the body of the kiln, in Awhich the bricks B are stacked, so as'to leave in'terstices between them, and c c are the fec:.iinghoppcrs, 'communicating with the interior of the kiln by the passages aa. The longitudinally reciprocating-rod k imparts a vibratory circular motion to the several plugs in the hoppers, through the leverst', as hercinbeforc described; and hence a-series of small streams of finely-divided vfuel is caused to descend upon and amongst the bricks, the fuel being ignited in its descent.

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical section, showing the application of this invention to steam-generator.

Figure 7 is a plan of the top ofthe same; and i Figure 8 is a longitudinal vertical section. In thesefiguregcra represents acylindrioal boiler, the lower half of which is contained within the combustionhalnber B, whilst-the upper part is covered 'or enclosed in lire-brick. Freni the bottom of the chamber B a number of perpendicular passages, C C, descend to the long combustion-chamber D, which should be primarily heated, by special rcs lighted therein, to the desired temper'aturefor effecting theY ignition ofthe finely-divided fuel. a a are lateral inclined passages leading from the self-acting feeding-hoppers to the lower portion of the passages C, which passages may, if desired, bc provided with stops or obstructions d d, for the purpose hereinbefore described. Theseveral feeding-hoppers are constructed and arranged in precisely the' same manner as 'shown' in iig. 3, the plugs deriving their motion from the longitudinallyA-reciprocating rodJc, working on autifif'iction rollers in the top or ,roof of the boiler-setting. l is a crank on the endof s. driving-shaft, m, and connected by a-connectingrod, n, with one end of the rod k. Op imparting a rotatory motion to the shaft m,by means ofv the-belt fand dri'vi11g-pulley, a to'and fro motion will beimparted to th rod k, und the plugs of the several hoppers will be caused to reciprocate ony their vertical axes, through the intervention of thelevers i. These levers are engaged at their free ends between pins in the rod k, and when one or more arcinot required to operate they are' simply disengaged from such pins., E E are lateral lueslshown in 'dotted lines in fig. 6) branching fr'oru'each side of the upper part ofthe combustion-chamber B, and opening into the longitudinal lues F F. "Frein the bottoms of these last-mentioned ilues other perpendicular fluesf(shown in dotted lines in figs. li and 8) descend tothe passagesG G, which, after uniting in one flue, may,- if desired, communicate with Siemens -regeneratorsI The 'draught or supply of air is maintained by the aid 'of an ordinary exhaustffan, in-

connection with the passages G G, but not shown in the drawings, such fan answering the purpose of a chimney; or,lif preferred, an ordinary chimney-stack may he used.A The fan for producing-the draught is to be driven always in the saune ratio with the self-acting feeders, and I prefer, therefore, that the same shaft m which drives the'fcedersA shall transmit 'motion to the fan. By this means am enabled to regulate the draught to the feed, so'thatthe greater the supply of fuel the greater will be the-draught or supplyofair, and vice versa. 'p represents the pulley and driving-belt, which gives motion to the fan from the shaft m.

In working a. furnace on this system, the several hoppers c are kept charged with the finely-divided fuel, either by manual labor or by self-acting elevators worked bythe steam engineer ,prim'e'mover. .A fire or fires having been lighted in the lower combustion-chamber D, in order' to elevate the temperature to a suliieient degree to ignite the timely-divided fuel, as it descendsA in' continuous streams, the feeders in the hoppers are started, and with th'elu the enhaust-fan. The powdered fuel now commencesto flow down the several inclined passages a at into the lowerpart of the several vertical `passages C, where, meeting with the obstructions d, the fuel is divided or scattered preparatoiy to its entra-nce into the cornbustioilchamber D, inV which it becomes ignited and consuined during its descent'. The flame and heated gases arising from this combustion are`carried by the Jdraught up thepassages OC into thc upper combustion-chamber B, where they impinge against thc bottom of the boiler A. The hot-air products of combustion are drawn o', through thcilucs E andF andf, to the passages G G, which conduct them eitherto regenerators, for the purpose ot' heating the supply of, air to the lower combustion-chamber D, such air entering therein by the doors d d', or direct torfhe` exhaust-fan, or to the chimney-` It will thus 4be seen-that, so long as the feeders are hept in op'eratio'n, a constnnt'snpply of pow.

snm 8 ered fuel will be fed into the chamber D, and n centinuous Home will be emitted therefrom. The ssh oli-'debris which collects in the chamber muy be remowfed itt-intervals through doors therein.

Claims.

1. The employment of solid fuel in c. fine-state of division, and causing it to ignite duringV its descent through u suitable combustion-chamber, to which it is 4supplied in u continuous manner by selfactng feeding apparatus,V substantially as andv for the purpose hereinbefore described.

2. The application and use, tp and'in be combustion-chambers hereinbefore referred to, of stops or obstructions, for the purpose of checking or `retnrding the descent of thc finch-divided fuel through such chambers, and insuring thereby its complete and perfect combustion.

3. The substitution of an exhaust-fan for the usuel chimney, for creating o. current or currents of nir through the combustion-chumbers hereinbefore referred to, when such funs arc worked in concert 'with the several fuel-feeding apparaltus, substantially as hereiubefore described.

In witness whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence ol' two subscribing Witnesses.

JACOB BUHRER.

W itnesses: i

DoUGLAs J'. NEWTON, 10 Buchz'n Lane, Lfmdo'n, WILLIAM Goonswsu, same plage. 

